OIC 22, 131 20[via ccpo]

(1) “Incantation for a woman in labor.” (In) “A ship which is loaded with lapis;” “to be loaded” means “to be full.”

(2) (The line) gug nu-zu ù nu-zu means “She is sullied and not suited for sacrifice,” i.e., “she is a substitute.” gug means “pure,” nu means “to be sullied” (laʾû, written laʾ), zu (means) “to be suited” (naṭû), whence “to see” (amāru). What it says, “she is not suited for sacrifice (siškur),” (since) “siškur means ‘sacrifice’ and siškur means ‘prayer’” (Diri II 1 and 8), (could be understood) as follows: “she is sullied and not seen for the prayer.”

(6) (In) “The herald summons Bēlet-ilī as follows,” (“the herald” (nāgiru) means “the exorcist,” because) the sign KA×AD.KÙ - i.e., AD.KÙ put inside of the sign kagakku (ka) - read as /nagiri/, means “exorcist.”

(8) (In) “Take a small (banda) reed (gi) from the marsh (enbar),” gi means “woman,” bar means “to go out,” banda means “baby,” “little one” (ṣaḫru). (In) “Dust (sahar) from the street (sila),” saḫar means “dust.” “Dust” (saḫar) and “little one” (ṣaḫar) are one and the same thing.

(10) (In) “Crossroad” (sila-lamma), si means “to go straight” said of walking; la means “child” (laʾû), i.e., “little one” (ṣaḫar); and “people” (ammu, written amma) means “seed.”

(11) (In) “Oil” (šamnu), the sign gar (= šá), read /nig/, means “woman;” “people” (ammu, written am) means “seed;” and nu means “to build.” Another explanation, the sign ni, read /i/, means “oil;” i means “to go out” said of the seed.

(12) “Break the top of his umbilical cord!” is said on account of the reed that cuts the umbilical cord; the “umbilical cord” is the human knot.

(14) (The word) kirid means “clasp” (kirissu), i.e., a thimble. “Woman in labor” (šupšuqtum-ma) stems from “person in difficulties” (šupšuqu), it means “to be delayed;” or, alternatively, it means “woman distressed” (dannatu).

(15) (In) “With her horns she is beating (ṭerât) the ground,” “to beat” (ṭarû) is its usual meaning; alternatively “she is beating” (ṭerât) can mean “she is given shelter” (ḫeṣnet), since “to beat” (ṭarû) means “to give shelter” (ḫaṣānu), as in “gudari = nanduru, ‘is intertwined’” (Ḫḫ II 287); and in “e-lá = edēru, ‘to embrace’” (?).

(17) Ellammê (a sobriquet of Sîn) means “Crown of Glory,” as in “elamma (a temple of Sîn ?) = “House of Four” (quotation from unknown source); or, alternatively, si egari tilla, i.e., “Elammû, whose figure brings to an end the light,” where si means “light,” egar means “figure,” bi means “his,” and til means “to bring to an end;” (this is said) on account of the moon when there is a complete eclipse.

(21) “Because of my barren cow,” (is said) on account of Sîn, the lord of the pure cows.

(22) (In) “Be adjured by Nindarʾa, the sherpherd of the herdsmen” (cf. Udugḫul V 59) “Nindarʾa” means “Sîn.”

(23) “Slithered” (nešelpû) stems from “to slither” (nešalpû), which means “to cross;” “to slither” (nešalpû) (also means) “to go.” (Moreover), gir₅-gir₅, which means “to slide” (nehelṣû), can also mean “to slith” (našalpû).

(25) The sign AN.GUD, read /niraḫ/, means “snake” (nirāḫu). (From its components,) an means “seed,” gud means “to jump.”

(26) (In) “Incantation for a woman in labor (laraha),” “labor” (larah) means “straits,” i.e., “difficulty.”

(27) “Naḫundi” means Sîn, “Narundi” means Šamaš.

(28) (In) “be plucked out (namlisu) like a gazelle!,” zé is the logogram for “to pluck out” (malāsu), and also for “to pluck.” Alternatively, “be plucked out!” (namlisu) (can be interpreted) as in “‘To look’ (naplusu) = ‘to see’” (quotation from unknown synonym list).

(29) (In) “Like a gazelle (maš.dà(GAG)),” the sign maš, read /bar/, means “to go out” said of the seed; and the sign gag, read /du/, means “children.”

(30) “No” (ulla) (is the opposite of) “yes,” “yes” means a “command;” alternatively, ulla (sc. ūlu), when said of the sign i, read as /i'u/, means “oil.”

(31) “Oil (i) from bowl (bur),” means “oil from the oil-presser's vessel;” alternatively, bur means “container.” “Arrow” (urudu.gag.u₄.tag.e) can also be rendered as mul.mul, inasmuch as “dart” (mulmullu, written mul-mul) means “arrow” (šiltāḫu). Hence, mul.mul means “seed” (zēru), because gi.mul.mul means “reed fence” (zerru, written ze-ru) (Ḫḫ VIII 41-42). Alternatively, gi means “woman” and urudu means “copper” (erû), which means “to be pregnant” (arû); the sign gag, read /du/, means “children;” the sign u₄, read /zalag/, means “light;” tag.ga (i.e. tag₄) means “to leave.” Alternatively, the sign gag, read /du/, means “children;” the sign si means “to go straight” said of walking, (si appears here because of the name) of the constellation “Arrow” (mul.gag.si.sá).

(37) “Egiziniti” is a name of Geme-Sîn. In “the path in my head,” “path” (namāru) means “way” said of marshlands and forests.

(38) The line “let him show the light to the one living in the shell!” refers to the pregnant woman (munus.peš₄), because “the pregnant stone” (na₄.peš₄) means “shell,” where “stone” na₄ means “to go out” said of the seed and (in the sign peš₄ = ŠÀ×A), a means “son” and šà means “womb.”

(40) (In) “Her vulva is loosened,” “vulva” means “female pudenda,” as in “put our your hand and stroke our vulva!” (Gilgameš VI 69); alternatively “vulva” can mean “tuft;” thirdly “vulva” (ḫurdatu) can mean “cavity of the darling” (ḫurri dādi) where “darling” means “son.”

(43) “In his arm” means “in his side,” since “arm” means “side,” because ŠE, which means “arm,” also means “side.”

(44) (In) “He who is entrusted with their lives,” “to entrust” means “to grant.” (...) dúb means “to beat cloth.”

(45) (In) “he is anxious (ikkud) and concerned,” “anxiety” (takkītu) means “understanding” and “to be concerned” means “to listen.”

(46) (In) “Hail stone from the sky” (abnū tīk AN-e), “stone” (abnu) (can be explained as) ab, i.e., “to create” said of giving birth, and nu, i.e., seed. (Likewise,) u.gú is the logogram for “Rain” (tīku), where u) stands for “to create” and gu stands for “to give birth.” an stands for “heaven” (šamê), but it also stands for “seed.”

(48) (In) “Dust from a fallen wall” (SAḪAR BÀD ŠUB-tú), BÀD means “wall;” (from its components (KÉŠ×BAD)), KÉŠ means “bond” and BAD means “to open.” (The wall has to be) “fallen” (because of) what it is said, “diri (SI.A) = ‘to collapse’ said of a wall” (Antagal A 151, cf. OB Diri I 18b), since si means “to go straight” said of walking, and A means “little one” (ṣaḫar).

(51) (In) “Dust of a leaking box (gá);” the sign GÁ, read /ma/, means “box;” but gá can also mean “to go” (sc. out of the womb).

(52) Lemmata, oral explanations, and (materials for) a “questioning” by a (master-)scholar, relating to (the text with the incipit) “Incantation for a woman in labor.”

(53) One column tablet of Enlil-kāṣir, lamentation priest of Enlil, son of Enlil-šuma-imbi, descendant of Ludumununna the Sumerian (i.e. the Nippurean).